Electric sparker for gas-engines.



No. 682,336. Patented Sept. l0, i901. F. R. mmuLLm.

ELEGTRIG SPARKEB- FUR GAS ENGINES.

(Application filed Eu. 8, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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PATENT FRANK R. MCMULLIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 682,336, dated September 10, 1901.

Application filed March 8, 1900. Serial No. 7,868- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK R. MoMULLIN,a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicage, in the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Sparkers and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates particularly to the class of electric sparkers; and it consists in the novel features hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one form in which I have contemplated embodying my invent-ion, and said invention is fully disclosed in the following description and claim.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents my invention applied to the combustion-chamber of an explosive-engine. Fig. 2 is a perspective of the removable electrode separated from the other parts of the sparker.

The object of my invention is to provide a means whereby the blackening of the elec trodes used in explosive-engines for igniting the charge by an electric spark or are is entirely or in a great measure avoided. This I accomplish by'causing the sparking to take place in a casing extending into the combustion-chamber of the engine, but isolated there= from, leaving only fire communication between the interior of the casing and the said combustion-chamber.

In the outer wall of the combustion-chamber is a threaded opening, in which is screwed a, plug A. The inner end of this plug, which is of conical form, is constructed, as shown, so as to constitutea cone-shaped casing forming the inner wall of a conical chamber 13.

' This chamber, which may be termed an igniting-chamber, communicates with the cornbustion-chamber of the engine by ports 0, which are large enough to permit of tire comm unication between the two. The plugAis Adjacent to the conical chamber 13 is the cylindricalopening a, which is of smaller diameter than the greatest diameter 'of the conical chamber. At the outer end of this c lindrical opening a the interior of the plug is enlarged to form the recess a with the shoulder 61' between the same and the cylindrical opening a. At the outer end of the recess a the interior of the plug is still further enlarged into the threaded portion a A platinum tip constitutes one of the electrodes, and this tip is secured to the conductor rod or wire at. At the point of joining of these two parts or adjacent thereto there is provided the head (1 forming a fiange-like projection extending outwardly beyond the body of the conductor (Z This said conductor is surrounded by a non-conducting and incombustible cylinder or shell d, termed the insulator. This insulatoris provided with an outwardly-extending bead or flange 61 near the inner end of the same,

and when in position this flange comes in contact with and bears against the shoulder cl". A ring of packing surrounds the insulator, and this is compressed and forced against the flange a by a threaded thimble F, fitting the outer threaded portion of the interior of the plug A, thus preventing all leakage of-gas.

The outer end of the conductor is screwthreaded and is provided with the washer d fitting against the outer end of the insulator. A nut 61 is screwed tightly upon said washer, holding the head or flange (1 against the inner end of the insulator. Electric connection is made with the conductor by a wire held in contact with the same between the nut 01 and a further nut (1 d is a jam-nut turned tightly against the nut d to hold the same from accidental displacement. The platinum tip is made of such length that the requisite space is left between the said tip and the inner wall of the conical chamber B, through which the electrical current may are, the said platinum tip forming one electrode and the conical casing the other. The conductor and tip, with the insulator, are together readily removable from the plug A, and this I have for convenience termed the removable electrode and have designated the same by the reference-letter D. These parts are shown disconnected from the other parts of the sparker in Fig. 2.

The operation of my device is as follows: The wires from the Rumkorff coil and makeand-break mechanism are fastened one to the conductor d by the means hereinbefore described and the other to the metal work of the engine, whereby when the circuit is closed in the Rumkorff coil the current Will form an arc across the platinum point d to the Wall of the chamber B. This will occur at the time when the charge in the cylinder is at its highest point of compression, and part of the charge will be forced into the chamber B, Where it is ignited by the arc, and the charge in the main combustion-chamber will be immediately fired through the ports 0. I It will thus be seen that the deposit that will be made in the igniting-chamber will be only that resulting from the combustion of the portion of the charge within that chamber, and as the amount of the charge consumed therein is extremely small such deposit Within said chamber will be correspondingly light. By this means the parts are kept practically free from the blackening effect observed in many explosive-engines.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In an explosive-engine, the combination with the combustion-chamber, of an electric igniter comprising among its members of the conical igniting chamber communicating with the combustion-chamber by fine openin gs in the Walls of the igniting-chamber near the apex thereof forming a fire communication between them, and an electrode extending within the igniting-chamber to near Y the apex of the same, forming with said apex the two electrodes of the igniter, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK R. MOMULLIN.

Witnesses:

J AMES HERMAN HAZZARD, WILLIAM NICHOLAS FITZPATRICK. 

